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is an action role-playing video game being developed by FromSoftware.

The fourth entry in theSoulsseries,Dark Souls IIIwill be released forMicrosoft Windows,PlayStation 4, andXbox Onein Japan in March 2016, and worldwide the following month.A comic is scheduled for release following in April 2016.

Gameplay

Dark Souls IIIis anaction role-playing gameset in athird-person perspective, similar to previous games in the series. According to directorHidetaka Miyazaki, the game's gameplay design "follows closely fromDark Souls II".Players are equipped with a variety of weapons including shortbows, explosives like fire bombs, greatswords and dual-wielding swords to fight against enemies, and shields that can be used to deflect an enemies' attack and protect the player from suffering damage.In addition, attacks can be evaded through dodge-rolling.Bonfires, which serve as checkpoints, return from previous installments.Ashes, according to Miyazaki, will play an important role in the game.Magic is featured in the game and the magic meter returned, similar toDemon's Souls. Each attack has two different styles. One of them is standard attack, while another provides power-ups to players, and is slightly more powerful. When performing miracles and spells, the players' magic points are consumed and decreased. In order to refill these points, they need to consume an "Ash Estus Flask". There are two different Estus Flasks in the game. One of them can help refill magic points, while another refills hit points.Combat and movements were made faster and more fluid inDark Souls III.Several players' movements, such as backstepping and swinging heavy weapons, can be performed more rapidly,allowing players to deal more damage in a short period of time.

Throughout the game, players encounter different types of enemies, each with different behaviors. Some of them change their combat pattern during battles.New combat features are introduced inDark Souls III, including "Ready Stance", which are special abilities for players that allow them to deal much more damage to enemies than ordinary attacks are capable of.Small gravestones are introduced. These gravestones light up when interacted with and not only serve as players' torches, but also provide additional lore to the game.The game puts more focus on role-playing, in which the character builder is expanded and weapons are improved to provide more tactical options to players.The game features fewer maps than its predecessorDark Souls II, but levels were interconnected and were made larger, which encourages exploration.The agility stat fromDark Souls IIwas removed fromDark Souls III.The game features multiplayer elements, like the previous games in the series.

Development

The development of the game began in mid-2013, prior to the release ofDark Souls II, whose development was handled by Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura instead of the series creatorHidetaka Miyazaki.The game was developed alongsideBloodborne, but was handled by two completely different teams. Miyazaki also returned to directDark Souls III, while Isamu Okano, the director ofSteel Battalion: Heavy Armor, served as a co-director for the game.Despite Miyazaki originally believing that the series would not have many sequels,Dark Souls IIIwould serve as the fourth installment in theSoulsseries. Miyazaki later added that the game would not be the last game in the series, and instead would serve as a "turning point" for both the franchise and the studio, as it was the last project by FromSoftware before Miyazaki became the president of the company.Multiple screenshots of the game were leaked prior to its initial reveal atElectronic Entertainment Expo 2015.The game's gameplay was then shown atGamescom 2015.

Miyazaki said thatBloodborne's limitations made him want to return to theDark Soulsseries.According to him, the game's enemies and map layout were designed to kill players.The introduction of "Ready Stance" was inspired by Guts fromBerserk, and Legolas, an archer fromThe Lord of the Rings.The game's visual design put focuses on "withered beauty", with ember and ash scattered throughout the game's world.

Dark Souls IIIis set to be released forMicrosoft Windows,PlayStation 4andXbox Onein Japan on March 24,and worldwide on April 12, 2016.A stress test for the game, which allowed certain players to test the game's network functionality before release, was available for three days in October 2015.The game has three different special editions for players to purchase, all of which cost more than the base game. Players who have pre-ordered the game will have their game automatically upgraded to theApocalypse Edition, which has a special case and the game's original soundtrack.The Collector's Editioncontains physical items such as the Red Knight figurine, an artbook, a new map and a box.The Prestige Editionfeatures all the content ofThe Collector's Edition, and has an additional Lord of Cinder resin figurine, which can form a pair with the Red Knight figurine.